


Flipped Upside Down

by CompleteIndie (orphan_account)



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Season 2, season 3 never happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-10 21:44:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20142460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CompleteIndie
Summary: The world is upside down. Broken. Spiraling out of control. And now?There`s only a few people who can save the world.Things in Hawkins are about to become a whole lot stranger.(An alternate continuation of the series, starting from where Season 2 ended.)





	1. The Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party are at the snowball, dancing their hearts out. Meanwhile, a cryptic monster gazes into reality, if only for a second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, spoilers for Season 3, as any world-building that came to light since Season 2 ended is also in this. So, while the events didn't happen, we know the info that could set it up.

**SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15TH, 1984**

The two children danced. They danced and danced.

In Mike's eyes, it felt like everything had finally... gone right.

In El's eyes, it felt like everything was... normal.

And while Hawkins wasn't normal, everything would be alright.

They had to be.

* * *

**Sᔑℸ ̣ ⚍∷↸ᔑ||, dᒷᓵᒷᒲʖᒷ∷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ f╎⎓ℸ ̣ ᒷᒷリℸ ̣ ⍑, ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ||ᒷᔑ∷ 𝙹⎓ n╎リᒷℸ ̣ ᒷᒷリ-ᒷ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ ||-⎓𝙹⚍∷**

_Looming. Infinite._

_Endless._

_The Mind Flayer watched over the Upside Down, gazing to the Right Side Up._

_It was not possible._

_How had she sealed the rift?_

* * *

"So, Mike, how are you and El doing?" Will asked the aforementioned paladin, and Mike gave a soft smile in response.

"Good." Mike replied, and he and Will watched as El and Max danced to the tune of some Micheal Jackson song.

"So, do you think everything with the Mind Flayer is over?" Will asked, concerned.

"It's gotta be, right?" Mike asked. "The gate's closed, after all."

* * *

_But it didn't matter._

_It wouldn't take much to open it again._

_All he needed was to give his..._

_Vessel a little..._

_Push._

* * *

"You're right. It should be fine." Will said, before smirking. "Care to dance?" He asked Mike.

"Huh?" The paladin asked, confused.

"Since El and Max are over there, and Lucas and Dustin are... 'dancing'" — dancing was a generous word, more like pushing each other in tune to a song, just like best friends do — "Wanna dance? We've got time."

"Sure."

* * *

_Twelve. It had a ring to it._

* * *

The party danced their hearts out, partying deep into the night.

The night ended so much sooner than anyone wanted, but alas, at around four in the morning of the 16th, Hopper took El to the cabin, Joyce brought Jonathan and Will home — despite Jonathan's insistence he had to get the photos done first, Max skateboarded home, and Nancy drove Mike home, Lucas and Dustin walking.

It was the best night of their lives.

* * *

_So, Will..._

_Ready to become a legend?_

* * *

It was nine o'clock in the morning on the 16th.

And that was when William Lionel Byers woke up with a pounding headache and a nosebleed.


	2. The Snow Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, El, and Max are relaxing as a party during a freak snow storm, and El and Will gaze into a world they'd both rather forget.

Winter is a cold, terrible force.

In the winter, snow falls, and makes mobility difficult. It causes ice, which removes traction and can make you lose your key ring under a foot of frozen water. It has terrible wind, which blows and swirls and throws bitter snow into your face. It is the most often time to get hypothermia.

And, as such, when the temperature dropped to forty degrees below zero, the party huddled up at the Wheeler house.

It was two days after the Snow Ball, and ultimately, it had been Dustin's idea. He had called Max, Mike, Lucas, and Will, and begged Hopper to let El come along. Mike's house had won. It was the only house with a fair amount of insulation, and therefore, heat.

Ted and Karen had left on a business trip a few days prior, and Nancy had gone with Jonathan to stop him from being all alone after he dropped Will off — Jonathan insisted he was fine by himself, but he secretly felt happy he wasn't gonna be alone today. Joyce was at work, Will with Mike. The house was gonna be empty, wasn't it?

Well, Jonathan and Nancy had been gone for... two minutes, or so, before Max suggested a great idea.

"How about truth or dare?" She suggested, with a smirk. Mike groaned; Will became very interested in the hardwood floor; Dustin's eyes went wide and mischievous; Lucas looked at Max with a look of excitement, fear, and confusion; And El?

"Truth or dare?" She asked, confused. Max looked at El.

"Basically, it's a game where we pick someone, and they pick 'Truth'. Or 'Dare'." Max started explaining, and Mike glared holes into the back of her head. "If they pick truth, you have to ask them a question, and they have to answer. If they pick dare, you give them some sort of challenge they have to complete."

_Well done, Max._ Mike thought. _Make it sound okay, so she'll agree._

"That sounds fun!" El said, and Mike internally groaned. And externally, to be fair.

"Perfect!" Max said. "Who wants to go first?" She asked.

Nobody spoke up.

"Okay, I guess I will. Let's start it off... simple." She said, gazing around the room.

"Lucas, truth or dare." She said, looking at her boyfriend.

_Truth will be humiliating._ "Dare." Lucas thought, then said.

"I dare you..." Max started, before smirking. "To let everyone throw a snowball at you."

Lucas grumbled, before opening the small door. As each member of the party crafted a snowball, Lucas braced himself, and put on his coat, looking at Max with a glare.

Will took the first shot. He aimed for Lucas' chest, and Lucas silently thanked Will for not covering his face in sn-

His thoughts were caught off by Max's snowball, which covered his face in snow.

"Really, _Maxine_?" Lucas said, knowing the name was only to piss Max off. She glared at him.

Mike took the next shot, and hit his legs. Dustin crafted a snowball, and hit his arm.

Finally, it was El's turn. Lucas looked in confusion, and for a second, he saw Mike giggle, nudging Max and pointing above him...

Suddenly, a snowball the size of a large cat fell on top of him.

"I hate all of you."

* * *

"Mike, truth or dare." Lucas asked, smirking.

"Truth." Mike said.

"Okay, I want this answered." Lucas said, before saying sweetly, "When did you first fall for El?"

"Kinda..." He muttered an answer, and only El was close enough to hear. She leaned, looking at him confused. "I'm not mad." She said, and Mike blushed.

"Can I skip?" Mike said, and Will nodded.

"Lucas, it's only the second round, maybe something a little more mild." Will said, and he couldn't help but notice Mike mouth the words 'thank you'.

"Okay, okay. Do you think you're sister's achieved cool-status again?" Lucas said, frowning.

"Again? I mean, she's cool now, but..."

"Elf campaign." Dustin said in a sing-song voice.

"That was one time, Dustin. One. Time."

"You say El flipping the van was cool, but she only did that one time." Lucas said, with a cheeky smile.

Mike sighed. "Fine, she was cool when we were 9."

* * *

That was how they spent their morning, but at this point, the dares and truths had escalated. Notably, El had given Dustin a dare and a half — "Hit me with a snowball.", which was harder said than done.

They made a ban on psychic powers and snowballs after that, as per the request of four frozen kids caught in the crossfire.

"Okay, how about this? Mike, when did you fall for El?" Max asked, wanting closure. It also the sixth truth in a row.

"Um... Almost right when we met her. It was hard at the time, I h... I _had_ two crushes at the time." He said, blushing.

"Who was the other one?"

"That's a different question. Dustin, truth or d-"

"Truth."

"At this point we're playing truth or truth. Okay, how about... Do you still have a crush on Max?" Mike asked, smiling.

"No offense, Max, but no." Dustin replied. Max was in the middle of assuring him it was fine when he added, "She's too much of a handful for me anyway." She just kinda glared.

"You know, we're on the note of crushes. So, I'm gonna find out who everyone has a crush on. We know El, Lucas, Max, Mike... Will?" Dustin asked, and the cleric's eyes went wide.

"Dare."

"Okay then. You want to avoid the question, I see." Dustin said, before smiling. "I dare you to call your crush, and ask them out."

"I-I can't do that..." Will said, almost right away, blushing.

"Oh, why not?"

"They're taken." Will said. He was flustered. "And besides, I... kinda don't want to." He added, before internally kicking himself.

"Why not?"

"Because's it's one of us."

Silence rang out.

"Oh." El said simply, and Mike looked at Will. So either Will was crushing on El or on Max, both of which he had to spend almost every day with, knowing they were both taken? That was...

Mike felt sorry for Will.

"Yeah, I didn't want to tell you guys. I just made things awkward, didn't I...?"

"Eh, it's fine." Mike said. "No one's mad."

"Maybe I should've said something el-"

"Friends don't lie. We understand." El said, smiling at Will softly.

"So..." Dustin started. "Wanna change the topic? Game? Maybe play some D&D, we could teach the girls...?"

"I'm down." Max said, getting up.

"I just wanna watch." El said, looking around.

Will got up, and suddenly he started walking like a klutz.

"Did you get up too fast?" Mike asked, grabbing the falling cleric.

Will didn't answer. It took a few seconds for Mike to realize he was gazing off to space, scared.

"El, Dustin, can one of you give me a ha- El?" Mike started asking, but then he panicked.

El was gazing off as well.

* * *

Darkness.

Endless.

El gazed around, looking. She felt so tired, so, so tired.

She looked and saw Will, who looked back. And together, they looked at the sky.

* * *

Both kids started screaming their heads off, and Mike looked at the remaining party concerned.

"What do we do?"

Lucas looked worried. "We wait. We don't know what's happening."

* * *

"Will?" El asked, near tears.

"Is that the..." Will stammered.

_Mind Flayer._

It gazed upon Will and El, and for the first time, they heard it speak.

** _WELCOME._ **

** _BACK._ **

They both screamed, and the Mind Flayer laughed — it fucking laughed! — before swirling around them.

** _THIS IS JUST A LITTLE EPISODE OF YOURS... I'M NOT REALLY HERE..._**

** _BUT THAT WILL CHANGE._ **

It swirled around, enveloping Will and El in pure darkness...

* * *

And Will jerked, and groaned when he hit his head off the coffee table.

"Will? El? What happened?" Dustin stammered out.

"Mind..." El started, but she collapsed. _That was..._

"Mind Flayer." Will said. "It spoke to us.

"Spoke?" Lucas asked, unsure he heard correctly.

"It... It told us something was going to change... That it would be here..." Will added, clarifying, while El curled up into Mike's arms.

"We're so fucking screwed." Dustin said.

_Yeah._ El thought. _We really fucking are._


End file.
